Hi! I'm a brand writer and essayist currently living in the Detroit area.

About

According to my mom, I wrote my first poem — a little ditty about moonbeams — when I was four years old. Since then, I’ve written for a range of people from small business owners to multinational corporations like General Motors, Sands Casinos, Abbott Global Healthcare and Coca-Cola. My essays have appeared or will appear in publications like Christianity Today, Urban Faith magazine, and Under the Gum Tree, along with a few others.

I graduated with my Master’s degree in Creative Writing at the end of 2016. In 2013 and 2016, I was awarded the Tompkins Award for my work in creative nonfiction. Currently, I’m writing a collection of essays about memory and identity.

I live with my husband, daughter and rescue dog, Bash, in a mid-century ranch. When I’m not working, I like cooking food with unpronounceable names, listening to records, crocheting, binge-watching Grey’s Anatomy and reading Supreme Court opinions. Come say hi to me on Twitter and Instagram.

Featured Writing

Like most players on Detroit's economic stage, Covenant Community Care (CCC) arose out of community demand. Across Detroit neighborhoods, from burgeoning Midtown to the West Village Historic District, entrepreneurs rise to meet the needs and desires of their consumer base. They open restaurants and decorate storefronts, money exchanging hands to pay for lattes or handmade goods. But what happens when most of your customers can't pay? Keep reading...

The summer after fourth grade, my best friend Juliana and I decided to conduct an experiment. Standing on stools in my mother’s kitchen, we held cold eggs in one hand and punctured the tops and bottoms of them with a straight pin. Keep reading...

Every afternoon as the sun dips behind the bungalows, my nonna sits in a chair below the marble window ledge in her dining room, a ball of yarn spinning at her feet, and makes soft, delicate things. Keep reading...

Freelance

For more than 10 years, I’ve been providing magazines, small business owners, independent authors, and multi-national corporations with written content and editing services. If you’re interested in finding out more about my rates and seeing a full list of freelance offerings, I’d love to hear from you.

Client Resources

Kind Words

Katelyn Beaty

Editor at large at Christianity Today magazine & author of the book "A Woman's Place"

I had a great experience working with Stefanie as a contributor to the This Is Our City project at Christianity Today. She followed the assignment well, and her writing was clean and well-researched and needed minimal editing. She was responsive to emails, and I would have happily assigned more content to her. I would recommend Stefanie for freelance reporting articles.

Michael Guest

Associate Creative Director at MRM//McCann

Stefanie is hard-working, diligent and collaborative. She is passionate about providing thoughtful, well-written words that put the user experience at the forefront. She treats interface copy and error messaging with the same standards of excellence as the highest level brand copy, which makes her an extremely rare and valuable asset to the Digital Owner Services team.

She brings a professional grace and positive attitude into every situation, even ones that could easily be construed as unclear, unfair or overwhelming. Her work is consistently well-received by colleagues and clients alike. And she has earned the confidence and trust of the entire team.

Beyond her day-to-day assignments, Stefanie has demonstrated that she can write effective and impactful copy for other mediums. She successfully tackled video, print and email projects, learning the nuances of writing effectively for each.

Rachael Sanowski

Author of the book "Loved Fearless"

Stefanie edited my manuscript with a writer's eye and a disciple's heart. She kept her eye on grammar, audience and contextual integrity, while also looking to learn from and be true to the content. I felt listened to AND led to deeper and clearer forms of expression. She convinced me that my work was good AND coached me toward a more excellent end product. I am really grateful.

Ed Gilbreath

Executive Director of Communications at Evangelical Covenant Church

Stefanie is an outstanding reporter and writer who brings passion and a sense of wonder to every project she takes on. From pitch to delivery, it was a joy to work with her. And yes, I'd hire her again in a heartbeat.

Speaking Engagements2014 - PCA/ACA National Conference for the paper "Male Homosocial Bonding and Women of Silence in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket"2011 - Oakland University Honors College Career Forum2007 - Meeting of the Minds Undergraduate Conference for the paper "Vijay Seshadri and the Negotiation of Bi-Cultural Identity"

Say Hello!

Please reach out about writing and editing projects, freelance assignments, consulting and any other queries you might have. If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here or via Twitter.

I'm also booking for 2019, so send a note if you're interested in having me teach a writing seminar or speak at an event.